“I think it’s honestly one of the most authentic songs I’ve come out with,” Surf Mesa says of his latest single, “State Of My Heart.” “The song came together in one day. We were just humming around melodies, and then my collaborator, Natalie [Dunn], said, “Can’t you feel the state of my heart?” and that became the sticky hook.”

These days, Surf Mesa is certainly living up to his name. The Seattle-born musician is making waves in the music industry–releasing what seems like hit after hit, all while remaining true to himself and his sound. Despite only officially releasing music three years ago, Surf has already built up an impressive body of work. His breakout hit, “ily (i love you baby)” has garnered more than 700 million Spotify streams and a Top 10 ranking on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs charts following its 2019 release. This month, Surf continues on that upward trajectory, releasing a new single, “State Of My Heart,” last Friday via Astralwerks. 

The upbeat, piano-driven track encourages intuition in relationships, urging listeners to act compassionately when tending to matters of the heart. During a call with VMAN, Surf shared how the song was born out of his own experience. “I’ve been in a relationship for like the last three months, and I’ve felt that there are definitely points where you want to embody expression without words,” he shares. “It’s interesting when you’re in a relationship, and want the other person to have intuition.” 

And yet, while he pours his feelings into, what’s arguably, his most intimate track to date, he also notes it’s “also just a fun dance song.” To complete the fun dance track, Surf called on dance music heavyweight Nat Dunn, who has previously worked with Duke Dumont, Gorgon City, and Hayden James. 

“I think she has a soulful touch in her voice that really resonated with me initially. So I DMed her, and we’ve been in a conversation for a few years–I think, like 2020,” Surf shares with VMAN. “We were able to get in the room together when she was in LA. She’s just so talented, and that doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Featuring Dunn’s explosive vocals and Surf’s masterful production, the song bursts onto the scene with a sense of hope and optimism. As a declaration of unbridled human emotion, the track represents the beauty of working on one’s self and second chances. And as is true with the rest of the musician’s discography, “State Of My Heart” is sweet, lighthearted, and “mellifluous”–as Surf likes to call it. When asked what he wanted his music to sound like, he hoped it to be “sweet, musical, and pleasant to hear,” full of organic texture and good vibes.  

Last weekend, Surf celebrated the release of his new track with a performance at XS NIGHTSWIM. Marking his first headline show in Vegas, Surf hyped up the crowd with classic dance hits as well as his newer work. And if you were unable to see the XS show, you can catch him on tour with Gryffin, this fall. Surf will open for Gryffin in four cities: Morrison, Boston, Washington and Dallas. For more details on tour and venues, you can click here. 

Read below for our conversation with Surf–he shares the musical inspirations that shaped his latest single and introduces us to a concept that he calls “The Ozone.”

VMAN: Hi Surf, thanks for chatting with us today. What have you been up to so far?

SURF MESA: I just got back from Asia, so I’m still adjusting to this time zone. A few days ago, I was waking up at 3 PM, so I’m fixing it. 

VMAN: Where did you go in Asia? 

SM: I went to Malaysia, which was really cool, and then I went to Jakarta. So those two were the highlight of everything. It was great to be out there. I stopped in Tokyo, and then on the way back, I stopped in Seoul. It was cool to go to all the places.

VMAN: That’s so exciting. Also, congrats on your new single, “State Of My Heart.” Where did you start with the project, and what did you want to achieve with this track?

SM: I think it’s honestly one of the most authentic songs I’ve come out with. I was in the room with one of my favorite producers, Phil Scully, who does a lot with Diplo and others. And then one of my favorite piano players, Eli Teplin, who is also credited on a lot of dance songs and has done stuff with Louis the Child and other amazing artists. There was also another writer, Steph Jones, and the featured artist, Nat Dunn–so it was like five of us. I opened up this ’80s patch, and I started to play this melody–I would play it, but nothing is plugged in. It’s basically the intro of the song and I had these vibrant, retro sounds. And it just kicked off of that. It’s so good to have a piano player who’s just like a wizard with chords and music theory in the room because he will tell you an alternative chord progression for what you are playing to make you feel different emotions. It feels like cheating the system, or hacking the session if you have like a music theory wizard in the room with everybody. Because I’m definitely more on the technical side of producing and so that was great. But, anyway, the song came together in one day. We were just humming around melodies, and my collaborator, Natalie [Dunn], said, “Can’t you feel the state of my heart?” and that became the sticky hook. It kind of builds from there and it was honestly like one of the most authentic days I’ve had in the studio with a bunch of cooks in the kitchen. The song feels really fun and complete and I’ve been playing it live lately. And the reaction live has been really cool to see fans react. It’s been fun so far.

VMAN: That all sounds very fun. And as you talked about your collaborator, Nat Dunn, how did you guys initially connect and want to collab on a song together?

SM: If you look up her Spotify, you’ll see she’s done a lot of dance artists–that includes Oregon City, Duke Dumont, writing credits on BTS. I think she has a soulful touch in her voice that really resonated with me initially. So I DMed her, and we’ve been in a conversation for a few years–I think, like 2020. And so luckily, something clicked between us, and we were able to get in the room together when she was in LA. She’s just so talented, and that doesn’t go unnoticed.

VMAN: Can you bring us through the themes as well? Why make a song about intuition? 

SM: Natalie was just humming. But when she said, “Can’t you feel the state of my heart?” that was the first time I heard it. I think it resonates more and more. I don’t know. I’ve been in a relationship for like the last three months, and I’ve felt that there are definitely points where you want to embody expression without words. It’s interesting when you’re in a relationship, and want the other person to have intuition. But outside of that, it’s also just a fun dance song. 

VMAN: The visualizer for this track is also super cool, where we see you running up to the car? I’m curious, how many takes did you do? 

SM: We did more than enough tapes, and I guarantee the tape that we have in the end is not the first tape because I’m winded. But yeah, the visualizer was a lot of fun. I got a few of my friends and we all went out to Lancaster, which is about two hours away from LA. It’s just a flatland desert area. We had rented this older Bronco, and Alex Kennedy, the director, had the idea to use this red fabric. It all has this Malibu-based youthful energy, and I hope it really demonstrates my sound right now. 

VMAN: Where did that inspiration come from? 

SM: I love when things are like one shot, so the whole one shot thing was inspired by a LANY music video. I don’t know which song, but Paul Klein is in the back of this car driving on PCH [Pacific Coast Highway]. In the music video, he’s just sitting in the back of the car, mouthing the lyrics.

VMAN: How do you want people to feel when they listen to your songs? 

SM: I’ve always wanted my music to be good feels. A word that’s always been in my SoundCloud bio is mellifluous. It basically means sweet, musical, and pleasant to hear. I want to reflect that always in my sound.

VMAN: And as you got your start with TikTok, with your song “ily (i love you baby)” racking up 7.6 million uses to date. What’s your relationship with the app now? 

SM: I kind of post anything on TikTok. It’s like a finsta, where everybody posts anything on their alt account. It’s all just fun and I definitely go on it actively. I check what my friends are sending me, and it’s fun to watch when I have free time. 

VMAN: What’s on your FYP? 

SM: A lot of DJ stuff and production tricks. I’d also say a lot of college humor stuff, which I think is funny.

VMAN: Also, I read that you’re going to Las Vegas this weekend to perform at XS NIGHTSWIM. What are you looking forward to?

SM: These last few days, I’ve been putting together a set that I feel is fun. Vegas is definitely a different market because Vegas has all walks of life and it can look like a zoo at times. But it’s also your biggest pot and something you really got to learn how to please and show them a good time. So with that, the set is going to have a lot of dance hits, it’s not going to be like an underground rave because people are there to have a good time. 

VMAN: Do you have a pre-show ritual, or do you tend to keep it lowkey? 

SM: Oh man, I do. I go into, what I like to call “The Ozone.” It’s just a word I made up for myself that’s the polar opposite of a panic attack. So if you say I’m going to enter “The Ozone,” what does “The Ozone” mean for you? For me, it means that you’re free from human error. You’re collected, you’re motivated, and you’re there to have a good time. So it’s almost like a blanket word that consists of everything that is perfect–I promise I don’t take anything [laughs]. It’s almost like an affirmation. It brings me peace when I’m up there because I know I’ve been sent off knowing that everything is going to be ok. It definitely gives me peace of mind.

VMAN: I’ll have to try that out for myself. Why did you choose the term “The Ozone?”

SM: It just feels like a portal. It feels like it’s in a different realm. But it’s also the name of a plugin that masters your songs, so it’s a music thing and feels cool.

VMAN: It is a very cool name. Finally, what are your goals for the end of the year? Anything you’re still looking to accomplish? 

SM: I’m going to support Gryffin at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and then go to Boston to perform with Two Friends. But other than that, I’m just looking to finish the songs that I’ve been working on and end the year with a bang. 

Stream “State of My Heart” below.